Recently released from intensive care after May 13 crash, Coquitlam rider will compete ‘if there is any possible way’

Tory Nyhaug posted this May 13 photo of himself in hospital on Twitter.

VANCOUVER — By his count, Greg Nyhaug figures his son Tory, Canada’s top BMX rider, has broken 12 or 13 bones in his career.

“When he was 14, he broke both his arms and was back racing again in seven weeks.”

The now 20-year-old from Coquitlam is clearly one tough, resilient kid. But can he recover from a ruptured spleen, the second such injury in two years, to compete at the London Summer Olympics?

“If there is any possible way, Tory will be there. That’s just the kind of individual he is,” Greg Nyhaug said Tuesday, a day after returning to Canada from the Netherlands.

“By the same token, you have to balance the long term outlook with the short-term benefits. He is only 20 and he’s got a chance to go to the 2016 Olympics. Although, there are no guarantees.”

Tory spent 11 days in hospital intensive care after crashing May 13 in a UCI BMX Supercross race in Papendal, Netherlands. He is scheduled to return home today after spending a post-hospital week resting with his parents while awaiting clearance to fly.

Greg says no decision on his son’s status for London will be made until Tory sees a doctor at VGH who looked after the rider following his first ruptured spleen in a crash in 2010.

“If they have to take out his spleen, that’s one thing,” says Greg.

“If they leave it in ... we don’t know how long he could be out. It depends patient to patient. At this point, in his mind, he’s going regardless. But he is only 20 and he’s not thinking long term.”

Nyhaug missed last weekend’s UCI world BMX championships in Birmingham, England. Canada failed to qualify a rider for the 64-man elimination heat racing, but still finished with enough points in the Olympic qualifying period — most of them earned by Tory — to earn one berth in London.

Cycling Canada Cyclisme does not have to nominate its rider until late June.

Tory was fourth in the time trial and fifth in the final at the March 31 opening UCI Supercross of the season in Chula Vista, Calif.

Then he was seventh in both the time trial and final at the second race in Randaberg, Norway, in mid-April. He was actually on his way to a third-place finish and his first podium in the final when he crashed in the final turn.

Greg Nyhaug and his wife were in Papendal watching the race when Tory crashed in that final.

“He had just passed a guy for third and was going into the final corner and ... he was going so fast, he miscalculated a bit and hit a roller and it was like there was a sniper in the crowd and he just took him out. The bike hit sideways and he was launched over the handlebars and his body took the full effect on the upside [of the roller].

“It’s a violent sport and when you’re going that kind of speed on a bike, the ground is unforgiving.”

The spleen, about 11 centimetres in length, is part of the lymphatic system and acts primarily as a blood filter. It is a non-vital organ, however, and a healthy life is possible if it is removed.

Greg, who was watching from the back straightaway in Papendal, said he knew as soon as Tory went down and stayed down that it was serious.

“First of all, he doesn’t usually stay down very long when he gets hurt. He’s tough as nails. You don’t get to be at the top of any sport without being mentally and physically tough.”

He said Tory was “devastated” at not being able to race the world championships.

Asked if Tory’s crashes and injuries have given him cause for concern as a father, Greg replied: “Of course.

“But what are you going to do. It’s something he loves to do. And ultimately, it’s his decision. If it came down to a point of where you have to quit or the next injury is going to be the end of you, then you have to sit down and consider what you’re doing.

“But look at downhill skiers who are wrecking their knees regularly. Or football players. You know the risks going in. You take that risk because that’s what you do.”

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